Confirmation of the hypothetical Higgs boson – often called the God Particle – is a coveted prize in physics. Physicists at CERN – the European Organization for Nuclear Research – announced in December 2011 that this prize might be almost in hand. They say that data from the Higgs boson could help physicists who hope one day to explain the structure of matter in our universe. But what is the Higgs boson, or God Particle? In 2009, EarthSky received this explanation from physics Nobel Laureate Dr. Leon Lederman.
Scientists announce hopeful signs of Higgs boson, aka God Particle
What is the Higgs boson, sometimes called the God Particle?
There may not be such a thing. But the speculation has a certain amount of scientific beauty, if you like, and interest.
If the Higgs particle does exist, it could contribute to scientific understanding of why all known particles – things like atoms – exist with a mass, as physical matter.
ATLAS Detector at CERN
In other words, everything we want to understand about the world requires the model of the basic particles, and the laws of physics by which these particles carry out their task. Many things about the world we do know, and the Higgs would fit smoothly into that world. That’s why the probability is that the Higgs will be found. But it’s certainly not a certainty.
Why is finding the Higgs boson so important to physicists?
Our job is to understand how the world works in its most primitive fashion. When we have a hypothesis that everything is made of atoms, and atoms are made of quarks and leptons, that’s the basic structure from which we will obtain our knowledge of the universe: its origins, how it evolved, and particularly how it will age.
A good theory of the universe will predict how the universe will evolve. It was the evolution of the universe that called into question our picture of gravity. There’s something called the theory of relativity, which is an accounting for how gravity tugs on different parts of the universe and gives rise to, for example, our solar system.
In other words, everything we want to understand about the world has to do with a model of the basic particles and the laws of physics by which these particles carry out their tasks. The Higgs idea, if it were proven correct by experiment, would simplify our picture of how the world works.
That’s our job, to make a picture of the universe that is so simple, that it could be inscribed on t-shirt of average size.
Can you tell us more about the theory, and about what’s known?
We know that all of matter – everything we have around us, chairs, trees, skies, moon, planets – all of this matter everywhere is embedded in an assumed field. Let’s call it the Higgs field. In the presence of that field, the matter we talked about can always be broken into molecules are made of atoms.
The atoms are made of nuclei and surrounded by electrons in orbital fields, which create the atom. We can say deeper in the nucleus, we have explored its structure, and its structure is made of things called quarks.
This whole picture we have is very complicated. When we try to draw a plan of how the world is composed and we start from the bottom up, we start by listing 6 different kinds of quarks. There are another set sort of particle called leptons. We’re getting the idea that everything in the world is made up of these fundamental particles.
The presence of the Higgs field helps these particles fit together like pieces of a puzzle, and explains why they have split apart, with different masses.
Thank you Dr. Ledderman for an excellent discussion.
I’m picturing the Higgs boson as having an incredibly strong field or wave component which converts energy to mass. In otherwords, when high energy particles pass through, they obtain mass through conversion of their energy. Assuming I’m getting this, then doesn’t the Higgs boson’s existience end in the conversion process since the high energy particle passing through requires the added energy of the Higgs particle to effect the conversion?
The seeming mass of the electron inside of a crystal is a function of its interactions with the crystal; in other words the phonons of the crystal \”dress up\” the electron. All elementary particles are also \”dressed up\” with bunches of stuff hanging on. If the Higgs particle exists, it simplifies the way little bits of stuff interacts with the elementary stuff that we call electrons, muons, tauons, quarks and gluons. What it would have been nice to hear was if the theorists had resolved the problem that the strength of the interactions of the Higgs with the elementary Fermions didn\’t seem to have any necessary magnitude. So the last I had heard, it was a question of exchanging one unknown magnitude for another. (Although it does resolve the \”chirality\” problem which arises when one tries to generalize the derivative to a covariant derivative. (The generalizing of the derivative demands that the undressed Fermions have to also have zero mass.))
Sorry you also talked about the Higgs giving up its mass when a particle passes through. My comment above should have made it clear that each elementary particle needs to appear to have mass AT EVERY INTERACTION. IOW if the Higgs had given up its mass, the field would have gotten it back before the next interaction.
John, thank you for your reply. Let me say I’m not a physicist so I’m sure it is obvious I’m trying to intellectualize a concept way over my head. I think I get the concept of every particle needing to appear to have mass at every interaction. If I can refer to that as “potential mass” as opposed to physical mass, this brings me back to trying to understand the Higgs energy field or wave interaction. I’m thinking the conversion from mass to energy only occurs at the interaction of very high energy fields. So, what happens to the Higgs when a high energy particle interacts sufficiently to gain mass? In other words, how does the Higgs regain mass or energy absent an equal inverse interaction? Or does only the interacting particle drop to a lower energy state to gain mass with the Higgs merely lending then borrowing back the energy necessary to catalyze the conversion?
Oops, I meant to say I’m thinking the conversion from energy to mass only occurs at the interaction of very high energy fields.
What is God Particle? According my fresh thought:
1. It is a naked singularity of mass or the smallest black hole in the Universe;
2. It has huge naked mass, gravitation and inertia;
3. It is not a material particle;
4. It is not in the Standard Model of elementary particles;
5. It is an Ultimate Particle, cannot be decay;
6. Its Mass cannot be converted into energy;
7. The lowest limit of its mass is about 10.9¦Ìg, and the upper limit is about 0.67*10^6kg, that means that its mass may be exceeded one kilogram!
8. Estimated mass of Higgs Particle is about 16 orders of magnitude smaller than lower limit of Mass of God Particle at least. So the mass of God Particle is substantially undervalued by mainstream physics
9. So Higgs particle is not God particle;
10. And so I believe that to find the God particle with LHC is an impossible mission, LHC efforts will be ended in failure, it is destined. I think that to find God Particle with colliders (such as LHC) is an extremely extravagant wrong way.
How to find God Particle?
Based on my bran-new thread, I design several kinds of very simple and very cheap physical experimental methods to find the God particle, to make a small black hole and to create new unknown stable material particles without using any accelerator or collider such as LHC.
Maybe to find God Particle is not a hard mission for me?
Revolution in Physics will soon arrival, believe me.
Care to find God, get on your knees and pray. This talk interests me, but sometimes it seems that the search is like a blind man, in a dark closet, looking for a black cat–that’s not there!
that is very interisting i worked at fermi lab when robert wilson was director then later wher leon letterman came to the lab ,however how dose the string theory fit in with this theory thanks luis